Paper Cranes
by Daisy-Chan
Summary: A four season story between Konohana's brunette doctor and brunette farmer.Each time spent together were treasured by these individuals;all they ever wanted is to always be happy in each other's arms.Yet they can't stop whatever plans Fate planned for them and wish that they,somehow,can overcome that one destiny destined for them.
1. Part I - Summer

**DISCLAIMER: **I own nothing. This is a fanfic written for entertainment only.

**A/N:** I'm bored and think that I need to do some not-in-first-person-view story. XD XD English is not my first language. Pardon the bad grammar and stuff... n.n;

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"_And this concluded my 200 birds," the brunette spoke as she placed the blue paper crane on top of the other 199 birds inside a box on the bed table in front of her._

"_You're fast," another voice of a brunette joined in; it was a tone different from the feminine one of the other brunette. "I've folded only 58 birds," he continued, sighing slightly at the mentioned result of his work._

**PAPER CRANES – SUMMER**

Lillian chuckled. "You're slow as ever, Hiro."

The brunette doctor frowned at the woman's comment and paused from further folding the blue paper in his hand. This didn't go unnoticed by said woman and she chuckled again. "I'm just teasing," she said, a tone of amusement was clearly shown in her words.

"So do I," Hiro joined in the small laugh. "But really. I was never good in this kind of thing," he continued as he focused back at the task in hand, continued folding the square-shaped blue-coloured paper.

"You've improved though. The birds you folded now are much neater than the ones you did previously," Lillian said as she picked another piece of blue paper piled together next to the box on the table.

"It proved that I'm blessed with an excellent teacher," the man smiled, staring down at the finished product in his hand, his face somewhat beamed at the shape of the crane he made. He picked up the bird and tossed it into the same box Lillian tossed hers earlier. "159."

"Is that a compliment?" Lillian asked; eyes still locked at the object in her hand as she folded the wings part of the paper crane. "Or are you being sarcastic – meaning the opposite of said sentence?"

"Of course it's not the latter, that's for sure," the man grinned as he watched the hands of the brunette woman worked on the piece of blue paper.

Hiro's eyes followed every moment her slender fingers made. Each movement captivated Hiro; it was like when he was watching her mother when she was playing the piano – the way her fingers danced with the keys and the way her body swayed with every note produced by the instrument her mother loved so much made it hard for little Hiro to look at other direction. Of course, the doctor was still a little child at that time and he understand nothing of what her mother is doing or the song she's playing but such thing was never a reason to stop him from watching and listening to her playing; it was like he's been caught in a spell that will only be broken once her mother finished playing and call out her little prince's name, telling him with a smile that it's time for him to go to bed.

The doctor switched his gaze to the face of the brunette woman in front of him. She bit her lower lip – a habit that she always did when she was engaged in a process of making another of the paper cranes. It was something that she picked up ever since she was submitted into this building two weeks ago. There was a faint light of excitement in her eyes. Such gleam was only visible when she was doing things that she enjoyed; thing such as farming – the reason why she stayed in Konohana. She was one of the rare women Hiro met in his life that actually didn't mind having her hand dirty with the soil in her farm or bathed under the scorching light of the sun. She was one of the rare women that didn't mind climbing-and never once complaining about the distance-up and down the hills between Konohona and its rival village Bluebell just so that she can help the people at the other village with the requests they posted on the bulletin board of Bluebell.

She was one of the rare women that managed to make Hiro feel at ease with only her presence around him – his mother is the only other woman who can make him feel the same.

Hiro wondered when exactly the time he started to harbour this special feeling he has for the other brunette. Lillian is a kind and friendly person – with her cheery and happy-go-lucky attitude, it's not a peculiar thing that she managed to befriend everyone in Konohana as well as in Bluebell. His interest at this woman is above admiration; he knew this too well. Such feelings…when did it start? Is it after she managed to reunite Konohana and Bluebell? Is it when she dropped in to give him his birthday present seasons ago? Or is it during their first meet where she came into this building and introduced herself as the new farmer of Konohana and will stay in the village while her twin brother chooses to reside in the other? Hiro chuckled. If it was indeed the last of the three reasons, he supposed that he owe his father an apology – he told him that love at first sight is impossible and exists only in fictions he had read in the library he used to frequent back at the city.

"300," Lillian's voice brought him back to present time. "What's so funny?" she asked as the finished paper crane joined the others in the box near the stack of square-shaped blue-coloured papers on the table.

"Sorry," Hiro paused from chuckling. "Old memories of mine," he told her as she raised an eyebrow at his words.

"I sure hope it didn't involve any embarrassing moments of me that you came across when I was working at the farm."

"Oh? Of which event? Were you referring to the one where you climbed up the peach tree with a skirt so that you can put back the baby bird in its nest?" Hiro grinned as he noticed the tinge of pink slowly appeared on both her cheeks.

"W-what? Why on earth did you remember that?" she stammered, clearly embarrassed at what the brunette doctor told her. "You were not supposed-!" her words were cut short as she covered her mouth with both hands, coughing hard in the process.

Hiro immediately rose to his feet. "Lillian!" he reached forward to her, slowly rubbing her back. "Take a deep breath. There."

The brunette woman panted hard after the series of coughs ended. "T-thank you. I-I'm okay," she said out of breath.

"We'll stop here today," the doctor's hand leave the woman's back and started to clear the bed table, putting away the pieces of blue papers and then closing the box which was full with blue-coloured paper cranes. "You should rest."

Lillian nodded as she lied backwards, relaxing herself in the comfort provided by the soft pillow cradling her head. "Okay," she simply replied. "But you have to promise not to keep that image of you-know-what inside that memory album of yours," she giggled heartily at her own words.

"For Harvest Goddess sake," Hiro frowned, but soon his eyebrows relaxed and he let out a small laugh. "I think that picture of your white lace panty will be forever burned inside my memory."

"Hiro!"

"I'm just kidding!" the doctor laughed a little louder, pulling the white blanket upwards her body and tucked both her arms underneath it. "Now rest," he said as he planted a light kiss on her forehead. "I'll come again in an hour."

The lying woman nodded and smiled at him. "Sure," she replied and closed her eyes.

Hiro watched as her breath returned to normal, no longer panting like before. He picked up the box and blue papers and started to walk away, wanting to let the brunette woman rest.

"Hiro," her voice stopped him on his track and he turned around to her. "Don't slack off next time. We still need more paper cranes before we can reach a thousand. It's unfair if I did all the work folding them, no?"

Hiro can't help but smile at her comment. "As you wish, Princess," he grinned. "Sleep now, Lillian. You need to rest."

The doctor watched as Lillian smiled and slowly fall into a deep slumber. Hiro eyes were fixed on the sleeping figure and a sudden ache hits his heart. It's been two weeks since Lillian was admitted to the clinic. It's been two weeks Hiro watched the sudden coughs that attacked her. He felt pain at such sight, moreover when said action were accompanied by blood which later on tainted the white blanket and dress she was wearing.

Hiro cursed at his own disability to work on a cure for her. He's not going to give up though. No. He never ever thought of giving up on her. Not when she is his most treasured person in this village called Konohona – in his life minus his parents. He tightened his grip on the box under his left armpit.

"541 more to a thousand paper cranes."

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**NEXT: PAPER CRANES – FALL**

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**A/N: **Well, that's the end for Part 1 out of 4 of Paper Cranes. The story's setting will be the four season of a year in the game and will focus on Hiro and Lillian – well, it's obvious. Hehe. XD Mikhail is my favourite bachelor in ToTT but Hiro needs love as well so… XD I'll elaborate more on their relationship in next chapters. (n.n) Re-writing 'Wait There'. I feel like I'm rushing way too much on that. X"D


	2. Part II - Fall

**DISCLAIMER: **I own nothing. This is a fanfic written for entertainment only.

**A/N:** Thank you for the feedback! (n.n) I'm happy that you enjoy reading the story! I hope you will enjoy this chapter as well! XD English is not my first language. Pardon the bad grammar and stuff... n.n;

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"_Are you happy, Hiro?" she asked as she looked up to him from the comfortable position she's in._

_The doctor looked down at her, a confused expression was clearly shown on that baby-face face of his. "What's with that question?" he asked back as his fingers played with the strands of her hair, twirling some of it around his fingers, repeating said action while he waited for the other brunette's comeback._

_Instead of replying him with words, she gave him a soft chuckle. "Since when did you started that habit of yours answering questions with another question?" she said, poking a finger to the broad chest she's leaning onto. The silver ring she's wearing on the next two fingers shone brightly at the dim light provided by a sole candle above their heads. "Bad Hiro," she added as she continued chuckling and snuggled closer to the man, relaxing herself in the scent the man carried._

"_It's because you're asking a weird question," he told her, releasing the strands of hair in his hand, tucking some of it behind her ear and moved his arms to her back, pulling her closer to him. "You already know the answer for that, didn't you?" he continued as he closed his eyes, resting his chin on her head and inhaled the sweet strawberry smell the shampoo she'd used earlier produced._

**PAPER CRANES – FALL**

Hiro massaged the bridge of his nose after taking off his reading glasses. He closed his eyes for some seconds along the process, sighing once and again putting on his glasses before continuing reading the book in his hand. It's been three hours since he last dropped in to her room to check her condition. It's been three hours since he saw her smiled weakly, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth before he wiped it away with a white handkerchief he had always keep in his white coat – said piece of cloth was one of the many birthday presents she gave him; he treasured it very much and will never leave the house without making sure he had it inside of his coat's pocket.

The doctor's eyebrows knitted together as he remembered the scene in her room three hours ago and again cursed himself for his inability to find a cure for her, to make sure that that series of coughs will never hits her again and that he will no longer see her angelic smile tainted with the red liquid – the company of said coughs that he detested so much. He looked down at the words printed on the opened page of the book in his hand – the thousand sentences he'd been reading since last night gave him nothing in return; he still have no idea what kind of medicine that can cure her, him as well, from the misery that befalls her. He gritted his teeth, mustering all the sanity left inside of him to resist the urge to slam the book down onto the table and spit on its functionality as an informative book. Harvest Goddess knows how he loathed the so-called medicine book. How he wanted so much to burn it to ashes for it provided none of the information he's been trying to find if it's not for the fact that the book was loaned to him and it's his responsibility to make sure that the book is free from any kind of vandalism.

"This might help you feel relax," a voice chimed in and suddenly the scent of coffee lingered in the atmosphere of the room. "Glaring at the book won't do any help, Hiro."

Hiro turned around to see the owner of the voice-though he didn't have to guess who said person is-just to be greeted by an outstretched hand with violet-painted nails belonged to one older woman he was familiar with ever since he decided to follow his father's footsteps becoming a doctor – she was handing him a cup of hot black coffee.

"How long were you up, Hiro?" the older doctor asked as the younger took hold of the cup she's handing him, nodding at the 'thanks' the younger gave her.

Hiro brought the cup closer to his mouth and took a sip of the hot coffee. Although it did nothing to ease his annoyance towards the inanimate object in his hand, the black coffee somehow refreshed his tired mind after missing the hours of sleep he was supposed to have since Harvest Goddess-knows-when. "I'm not sure," he replied, putting down the cup on the table and removing his reading glasses, placing it next to the pathetic excuse of a book. "5, 6 hours maybe? Why?"

"Lies. You looked like you've been up for two days straight," Ayame replied, pointing out a finger first at the black bags formed under the brunette doctor's eyes and to his crumpled white coat next. "You looked awful. You should go catch some sleep before you collapse," she added as she pulled out a chair and sat next to him. "I'll watch over her while you go recover all that energy you've lost."

The younger shook his head at the older doctor's words. "I'm fine. I'm neither tired nor sleepy," he told her and spun his chair around, once again engaging himself with the printed words of the-in his own opinion-accursed book.

"You are tired," the black-haired woman said as she picked the younger's reading glasses and poked the brunette's left shoulder with said glasses. The brunette turned to her, shot an annoyed look at the reading glasses before taking it off the other doctor's hand and expressing his gratitude with a muttered 'thanks'. "Go to rest, Hiro. Harvest Goddess knows very well you need it," she added and sipped on her coffee. "I will watch over Lillian."

"I told you I'm fine," Hiro retorted. He was aware that he's being somehow rude to his mentor when she only meant well and cared for his well-being. "I can't rest now. Not before I found out what exactly is eating Lillian's health. I need to find a cure for her. I need-"

"Hiro," Ayame cut short his sentences by calling out his name and placing a hand on the shoulder she'd poked earlier. "Lillian would hate it if she saw you pushing yourself like this. Do you think she'll be happy seeing you like this? Do you think she will like it seeing you tormenting yourself with blame of not being able to cure her, to free her from the grasp of illness that took hold of her?"

The young doctor didn't reply. Instead his grip on the edge of the book in his hand tightened and he bit his lower lip. "Then what do you suggest me to do, Ayame?" he asked, his voice marred with pain and uncertainty; it was like he was unsure what exactly he was doing but nevertheless can't help himself doing whatever he is doing since he needed to believe that that whatever thing he is doing will somehow give him a kind of promise that he is one step closer to find the cure, to help Lillian. He needed something to hold onto, to be assured that the brunette woman will recover from her illness and that everything, between him and her, will turn back the way it is before that damned sickness took away her freedom to move around and chained her onto the bed of the clinic.

Ayame and Hiro's eyes locked onto each other as Hiro lifted his face from the book in his hand. He didn't say anything to her nor did Ayame to him – they let silence ruled the moment and let their eyes do the talking. Ayame admitted to herself that she had never see the kind of determination dancing in her apprentice's eyes. It's not like Hiro was not determined in doing his best in curing other patients or in doing any kind of task he's doing-Hiro was never the one to half-ass things he had set his mind to do-but the flames in his eyes burned even brighter than his usual ones – she swore that if said fire can free itself from his eyes and run amok the room, the clinic-perhaps the village as well-will be on fire right now.

The older doctor was amazed at how passionate he is in his work of finding a cure for his beloved, how much love he has for her. She can't deny the fact that she's a little jealous at Lillian-for she herself had never been able to find a man who bear a strong feeling towards a woman like Hiro did for the brunette woman for her to keep-but at the same time wondered where the old Hiro gone – Hiro who was clumsy, Hiro who stuttered his words out whenever he talked to her about his beloved, Hiro who was shy and somehow reserved compare to other man she'd know. It's not that the younger doctor morphed into a mean-mannered older man but she pondered upon the changes that Lillian's love brought to him – he'd changed to an even more reliable man, no longer stuttering out his words-minus some special occasions where he got very embarrassed-and no longer keeping things about himself only to him and Ayame. She can feel the aura of confidence surrounded him. She saw the pride-in a good way-he had now as a doctor and as the beloved of the brunette farmer, so much that she thinks it'll burst out any moment from his chest – if pride was bestowed such action upon it.

After what seemed like an eternal silence between the two doctors, Ayame decided to speak. "How about try to rely on others?" she told her. "You're not the only doctor here, Hiro," she continued, waving a hand and sipped on her now-turned-cold coffee. "And you're surely not the only doctor available in this world. There're Doctor Hardy, Jin, Alex and Trent – they're good friends of us who're more than willing to help us. Why won't you let us help you? Why did you let your stubbornness to get in the way? It won't hurt your pride to ask for help from us now, won't it?" she sighed and placed her now-empty cup on the table, next to Hiro's own cup of coffee. "Honestly, Hiro. You've been acting like a stuck-up jerk since she's sick with that 'I'll handle this myself' bratty attitude of yours. You're not the only one who love Lillian, Hiro," Ayame added as she placed both hands on Hiro's, grasping them tightly on his lap. "I love her as well. She's like a little sister to me. You're not the only one who's worried about her – me as well. I also wanted her to be free from the clutch of her illness; I wanted to see her move around and smiled freely like she did before. Let me share the pain with you. Let me carry the burden on your shoulder with you. Let me help you."

Ayame only noticed that the young brunette doctor was crying when he buried his face on her hands – his body trembled as he sobbed hard, mumbling words of apology between sobs and as well as expressing his regret at his own inability as a doctor. Ayame smiled a sad smile and pulled him closer, bending down a little so her chin touched the back of his head. She rested her chin on the messes of his hazel hair as she reached out a hand and stroke the younger's back, telling the person she'd considered a little brother she will do her best – they will do their best to make sure that particular brunette farmer will be able to set her feet back to her farm, to the place she loved being at the most.

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**NEXT: PAPER CRANES – WINTER**

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**A/N: **2 chapters down, 2 more to go. XD Thank you Aero-Dragon's-Sky for pointing out about Hiro's date dialogue of paper cranes. I tend to stalk only Mikhail-and Cam-so I miss a lot of the other bachelors' dialogue. Ehehe… XD XD I'm not so sure about the mentioned doctors' name up there except for Trent/Tim. Excuse me if I got any name in the wrong group. (n.n); This project won't take long since it consisted only 4 chapters so an update will be fast. Hopefully. X"D


	3. Part III - Winter

**DISCLAIMER: **I own nothing. This is a fanfic written for entertainment only.

**A/N:** English is not my first language. Pardon the bad grammar and stuff... n.n;

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"_It's ironic, isn't it?" the brunette doctor said as they stood quietly next to the entrance of Lillian's room._

"_Huh?" the man next to him raised an eyebrow, looking clearly confused at the statement the other gave him earlier._

"_For both father and son to experience the same thing in life – both are doctors and their beloved are sick," Hiro elaborated his previous sentence as he continued watching the blonde, wife of his beloved's twin who was standing next to him, their son and his beloved; as usual was lying down on one of the many beds available in the clinic. He smiled as the brunette woman laughed in delight when the young blonde sitting on his mother's lap reached up to her and handed her a fresh-plucked peach._

"_Heh," Philip snickered as he joined watching the scene with his brother-in-law. "You're bothered about it? Were you regretting your choice marrying my little sister – marrying a woman you never thought will fall ill two seasons after your marriage?"_

_Hiro turned to face the other man, a frown was visible on his face as he looked at him with a mixed of somewhat angry and surprised expression. "What nonsense are you trying to sprout, Philip? Why should I be sorry with my decision marrying Lillian?" he questioned him._

_The older brunette twin laughed. "It's good to hear that," Philip slightly nodded at the tone of irritation the younger had and smirked at the answer the other man gave him. "Because I swear I'll punch that baby-face of yours if you answer the opposite."_

**PAPER CRANES – WINTER**

Hiro thanked Harvest Goddess for the warmth of the day. Even though it's Winter and it was currently snowing, the temperature was not as cold as yesterday – the brunette doctor will hate himself if he was to break a promise he made to Lillian. He fixed the orange-striped short-scarf around his neck for some seconds before reaching out for another one of the square-shaped blue-coloured papers in front of him.

"It's nice of Mikhail to play a song before he leaved for his concert in the mainland," his beloved's voice was heard across of where he was sitting – she was gazing down at the black-coloured grand piano in front of her. "I just hope that I didn't trouble him when I asked him to play though."

"I'm sure he didn't mind. He was searching for you on the day of the Music Festival," the brunette man said, remembering the time when Mikhail approached him with a question regarding to the absence of the Konohana farmer during the small party held after the Music Festival ended last season. Hiro knew well that both Lillian and Mikhail shared a strong bond of friendship-since both enjoyed listening to classical music plus another reason Hiro didn't want to dwell on now that he's married to Lillian-and it's natural for her best friend to be concerned about the health of the brunette woman. He told the silver white-haired man that Lillian was resting in the clinic; she was in no condition to walk or go out today. Mikhail replied with a nod of understanding and asked if he can visit her later after the party. Hiro of course allowed him to do so and he was pleased seeing the smile the brunette woman had when the violinist came – a bouquet of Dahlia was a gift said visitor gave her.

The brunette woman's fingers grazed softly the piano's keys and smiled at her own gesture. "It's always a pleasure listening to him play," she commented, pressing random keys one by one, the sound of each key pressed reverberated in the silent room. "A pity that I've missed his performance during the Music Festival last Fall. I wonder if I could join in the next year's event…"

Hearing this, Hiro's head shot up from the blue-coloured paper; the movement of his fingers halted and he frowned, obviously not happy on the tone of Lillian's voice and the words she blurted out earlier. "What are you talking about, Lillian? The answer is obvious enough for even you to see it; of course you will be able to go."

"Will I, Hiro? With this bomb called 'death' ticking inside my sick body? You and I-especially you, since you're a doctor-both knew very well that it's only a matter of time before the time is up and the bomb exploded. I can practically hear Death knocking on the door, calling my name, saying that he's coming to get me."

There were no words Hiro could come up to reply her. Lillian was always known as an optimistic person – for her to say such words means that she had started to lose hope. She started to have doubts of whether her illness will be cured, of whether she will be able to live that life as a lively and energetic farmer again. Hiro couldn't blame her for being pessimistic – those countless reports he and Ayame had received from their fellow doctors carried nothing but the same answer; there was still no remedy for her, no treatment available to be taken to ensure her health and vitality from continuing to slip away. He tried not to show his annoyance and frustration towards said results but Lillian is no fool; she knew him too well to tell whether he's telling the truth or lying to her – the brunette doctor was never good in the latter though.

Sensing her husband tensed at her words, Lillian gave out a small chuckle. "I'm sorry," she apologized, turning to the other brunette once, smiling a troubled smile at him before taking the empty seat of the grand piano. "I shouldn't say that. It's not that I'm not grateful to still be alive," her voice trailed as she positioned her fingers on both hands on the piano keys. "It's just…sometimes I can't help but feel…unlucky. I mean…it happened way too fast for me to comprehend…getting caught in the grasp of an unknown sickness. Who would've thought that the Konohana's farmer, who previously was so active climbing up and down the hills between Konohana and Bluebell-before the tunnel reopened-now shackled to her bed in the clinic and can barely walk when that series of coughs hits her?" she paused for a while and let out a sigh. "I guess I've taken the wrong turn when I spin the 'Wheel of Fortune' because it clearly didn't favour me in this life," she continued and laughed a little.

Hiro watched as the farmer fiddled around with the keys, her fingers carelessly pressed on various keys, not caring whether or not the notes she's playing make sense to both of them. He watched her serene expression – aside from farming, his beloved loved playing piano-yet another info that he found was funny since his mother loved and play the same instrument as well-, although she claimed that she's not good in it seeing that she hasn't got the time to practice ever since she took over the farm in Konohana.

Hiro moved his focus back to the unfinished paper crane in his hand. He knew that there's no point pushing the matter in hand much further – it's not going to do good for either of them; they will continue to lament on each other's issue; Lillian for not being able to live freely as she wanted to and Hiro for not being able to find a cure for her. He also knew that Lillian was having exactly the same thoughts; the silence between them after that brief discussion of said matter was a proof that neither wanted to indulge themselves more into depression, to proceed getting drown in the sea of self-pity.

"Hiro," she called out to him amidst the sound of her reckless playing. "How many cranes left to do until we reach a thousand?" she asked a question unrelated to the previous topic they've discussed.

"If we included this one," the brunette doctor raised the half-finished blue-coloured paper crane in hand, waving it for the other brunette to see. "There're only 112 left to do."

"Oh? We're almost there then," she nodded in approval of her husband's answer. "We're reaching our limit of a year after all. It is said that one's wish will be granted if said person managed to fold a thousand paper cranes within a year."

Hiro nodded. "I heard the same as well. But since this will be a wish we both shared, we should fold them together," he smiled at the finished product in his hand for some seconds before tossing it into a box-larger than the previous season they had-full with the paper cranes they've folded previously. "Stop being lazy and help me, Lillian," he joked and chuckled as he saw his beloved pouted at his words.

"Later," she replied shortly as her pout turned into a devilish grin. "I did, after all, folded more than you before so it's fair leaving you to fold it alone…for now," she stuck her tongue out to the brunette doctor as he raised an eyebrow to her. "Let me play you a song while you're doing your share."

"Oh? I can make a request? And here I thought you told me that you're not good in playing the piano?" he teased her.

"I said I'm not good in it but that doesn't mean I can't play at all, Hiro," she rolled her eyes before letting out another chuckle. "Now, I wonder what my dear would like to hear?" she added as she looked down at the piano keys, pressing one key after another as if to taunt the brunette doctor with the melody she created.

"Oy, I thought I'm the one who will decide on the title?" he asked with a fake sad tone.

"Not after that smart comment of yours, love," she smirked triumphantly at him and started playing a song – this time she carefully pressed the keys to make sure she got the notes right.

Hiro smiled at his beloved's childish behaviour as he reached out again for another piece of square-shaped, blue-coloured paper on the table in front of him and went straight to work on said paper. Times such as this was rare ever since Lillian falls ill – it's not like everyday they're able to spend times outside of the clinic and Hiro was determined to savor each and every second of this moment to the fullest together with his beloved. His smile widened when he saw Lillian's expression as she enjoyed her play and as he listened with interest the gentle chords of Bach's Air echoed through the still atmosphere of Konohona's Town Hall.

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**NEXT: PAPER CRANES – SPRING**

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**A/N: **One more chapter to go. (n.n)


	4. Part IV - Spring

**DISCLAIMER: **I own nothing. This is a fanfic written for entertainment only.

**A/N:** Here's the last part of the story. I decided to go with the original ending I've planned before. XD English is not my first language. Pardon the bad grammar and stuff... n.n;

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**PAPER CRANES – SPRING**

Hiro sat on the bench with his eyes focused on the ground and his ten fingers intertwined with each others. He sometimes caught the view of the passing doctors, nurses and patients as well as visitors' shoes when they walked passed by him but none of said things distracted him – his eyes were still glued to the floor and still he had the same anxious look he wore since the start of the surgery.

"_Do you know the story of a thousand paper cranes?" Lillian asked during her first night staying in the clinic._

"_Paper cranes?" Hiro raised an eyebrow as he fixed the white blanket on her body. "But of course. I did fold them when I was little," he continued and sat down on a chair next to the bed after making sure the brunette is comfortable on her bed._

_Lillian's eyes glinted with excitement. "Oh? What did you wish for?"_

Hiro lifted his face from the floor and turned to his left to stare at the light above the door of the operation room. His grip tightened and he felt his fingers digging deep into the flesh of his palms. He was grateful that he kept short nails for if he didn't; blood will surely come spurting out from both of his palms.

"_Uh, it's kind of embarrassing to say this," the doctor's face flushed as he scratched his cheek with a finger. "I wished for the rain to stop so I can go out for a picnic with my parents. It was father's day off so I thought we could spend it together since it's rare for father to get one during his busy month."_

_The brunette farmer chuckled at the other brunette's answer. "Well? Did the paper cranes work?"_

"_I don't know. The rain stopped on my 12__th__ cranes," Hiro let out a small laugh._

Hiro sighed as he leaned back onto the white-washed wall of the hospital building. Placing his hands on his lap and facing the ceiling above, he closed his eyes – trying to relax, trying not to think too much about the ongoing operation and trying not to indulge himself more into counting the possibilities of negative results achieved by said operation.

"_That's too bad," Lillian continued chuckling. "I'd like to know whether the story about those paper cranes is true or not. You're not being helpful, Hiro."_

_Hiro faked a pout."Eh? I'm to blame on this? And the reason is?"_

"_You stopped on your twelfth. You should've just proceeded folding them until you've reached a thousand paper cranes," she answered with a grin._

"_And miss out the rare chance to get-together with my parents?" Hiro grinned back at her._

Hiro opened his eyes and immediately the view of the fluorescent light came greeting his sight. He blinked for some seconds before tearing his gaze away, slightly rubbing his eyes to ease the effect of the light he's been staring at previously. He turned to the green door once more and again sighed at the static door. Hiro perfectly knew what's currently going on at the other side of the door – he can't help it if his mind kept on pondering over the time consumed by the operation since its start until now. He wondered if all things went well inside the room he had his eyes on right now – he wanted everything to be fine inside said room. He relieved his worry-self by thinking of other matters aside of the ongoing operation; his mind automatically recalled the events which lead to today's operation.

One day during the first week of Spring, Ayame delivered him a letter from Dr. Hardy from Forget-Me-Not Valley; he told him that there's someone back in the city who can help him regarding to Lillian's situation. Said doctor previously had a patient with the same symptoms as Lillian's and according to him, the brunette farmer need to undergo an operation to ensure her recovery for relying on medicines alone won't be able to bring back her vitality and cure her from the strange illness. Hiro read the letter alongside Ayame in their office and was filled with joy upon discovering that there is, indeed, a way to cure his beloved wife. Both doctors paused from reading and looked at each other's faces – Ayame telling the young doctor how great the news was and Hiro expressed his gratefulness to both Dr. Hardy and the doctor in the city to Ayame.

Their happiness, however, was cut short upon reading the second page of the 3 pages letter.

"_Do you want to try it?" Lillian asked the next morning after their conversation about paper cranes the night before._

_Hiro paused from pouring the tea into the cup in his hand and turned around to face her, cocking an eyebrow. "Try what?"_

_The brunette farmer smiled as she put down the book she was reading. "Fold a thousand paper cranes. Do you want to try it?" she asked again._

_Hiro stared at her smiling face for a split second before resuming filling the cup with Rose Tea. "What do you wish for, Lillian?" he asked back as he handed him the cup-which she received with a nod and a 'thank you'-and reached out another cup on the table next to him. "I'll fulfil it for you."_

_The young woman gave out a soft smile before she sipped on her tea. She let out a contented sigh as she drew away the cup away from her lips and placed it on top of her book on her lap. "I wanted us to be happy."_

"_Are you not happy now?" with his back facing her, he asked yet another question._

"_You know what I meant, Hiro," Lillian replied him, the tone in her voice dropped a little._

_Hiro's movement of picking up his cup halted halfway and he turned to her. The brunette farmer was smiling but he knew such smile was not an indication to show that she's feeling happy – she was serious about the thing that they're currently discussing._

The patient of said doctor in the city died after the surgery – there's 50% chance of surviving and 50% more chance the operation will fail; the patient had exited the operation room with the latter result. The surgery itself was a success, the doctor mentioned in the letter but the patient's body had been too weak to keep up with the after-effect of the surgery. The illness was to blame; it had eaten enough of said patient's strength thus leaving the body fragile to such things – the burden received from the surgery was too much for his body to handle.

Hiro's face paled as he finished reading the letter – enclosed in the last page was the contact number and address of said doctor in the city. Ayame was keeping quiet as well – she, like Hiro, was thinking the negative result of said operation if Lillian was to sit for one; neither liking the thoughts.

"_You don't trust me?" he asked as he choose to ignore the cup on the table and turned to her. "You don't trust my ability as a doctor?"_

"_You're not romantic at all," the brunette farmer chuckled. "You can't see pass your logic thinking as a doctor the mystical power of a thousand paper cranes."_

"_Lillian."_

_Lillian took Hiro's hand into hers and squeezed them tight. "Never doubt my trust towards you, Hiro. Never," she firmly said and shook her head once."It's just, you know, wouldn't hurt to cling on to an extra hope."_

Hiro had talked to the brunette farmer about the news later that night. He told her everything; the patient, the surgery, the chances of the operation, the pain she will have to endure after the operation – not a single thing he keep hidden from her. Lillian nodded as he finished briefing her. The brunette doctor was preparing himself for her to cry and go hysterical about the news but she surprised him by calmly looking at him straight in his eyes and with a clear voice announced that she will sit for the operation – she had been long prepared for the chances of the surgery failing; for her own death.

_The brunette doctor's eyes locked with the violet orbs of the young woman sitting on the bed – he can see the burning determination in her eyes along with a faint spark of fear; she was afraid of her own self's well-being. Lillian is a strong woman-one of many traits and reasons that attracted him to her-but Hiro concluded that even the strongest will be afraid of their own future – one that no one can ever see, one that no one could ever predicted and one that no one can ever be sure of; moreover to someone who was struck by a strange illness like Lillian._

_Hiro took a deep breath while closing his eyes, holding it for some seconds before letting it out and opening his eyes."I understand," he told her as he squeezed back her hands. "But only on one condition."_

"_Which is…?"_

"_We will fold them together," he replied and smiled as Lillian cocked an eyebrow, titling her head at his answer. "Your wish is my wish. It's only natural that I wanted to work towards it together with you. Also," he added as he reached out for her cheek, caressing it gently. "Always remember that your happiness is my happiness, Lillian. I love you," he said as he leaned forward and kissed her forehead._

_Placing her hand on top of Hiro's on her cheek, Lillian smiled at the gesture. "The feeling's mutual."_

Hiro's eyes snapped open as his cell phone vibrated inside his pants pocket and quickly took it out – it was a mail from Philip. His brother-in-law had offered to accompany him and Lillian to the city-Ayame had to remained in Konohana to make sure a doctor will be available if an emergency ever occur in the village and Bluebell as well-but Lillian had asked her twin to take care of her farm; she knows that his wife had to help out her father in the café as well and the brunette farmer didn't want to trouble the blonde more by asking her to watch over her farm alone while they're in the city. The brunette tapped on the keys of his cell, replying the other brunette's mail; 'The operation is still going on. I will inform you when it is done.'

The brunette doctor tossed his cell phone back into his pocket and straightened his back against the wall behind him. Again staring at the same static door he'd been keeping watch since four hours ago, he balled his fists together on his lap. Hiro muttered a silent prayer to the Harvest Goddess – there're still a lot of things he wanted to do with Lillian; he wanted to show her that he can finally cook her favourite food without setting the oven on fire-he's not a bad cook; he's just not familiar using the oven-, he wanted to have a picnic again with her under the Cherry Blossom trees with the other villagers like they'd always did for years and he wanted to spend the scene watching their grandchildren running freely in the fields of Casablanca near their house with her while they sipped on some tea made by their daughter. He wanted to see Lillian's bright and happy smile again.

A free hand of Hiro's dug into the other side of his pocket, taking out the only thing available in said pocket – a blue-coloured paper crane; the last piece of the thousand paper cranes they've folded together since last Spring. He stared at it and memories of them folding the birds together resurfaced into his mind. He smiled at the warm thoughts and closed his eyes only to open it back in nanosecond when his ears caught the sound of a door opened. He immediately rose to his feet and while making his way towards the doctors who appeared from the other room returned the paper crane back into his pocket.

The brunette doctor's heart thumped rapidly as if he was running for a gold medal in a 100 metres dash as he approached them. They talked to each other for a while and as soon as the doctors finished delivering the news, Hiro's knees gave away and he dropped himself onto the ground, tightening the tug he had on one of the doctors' black pants; the tears he fought so hard not to show to Lillian before she lost her consciousness and disappeared into the operation room now run freely on both his cheeks and he sobbed so hard his shoulders trembled with each breath he took.

Little did Hiro noticed that the blue-coloured paper crane in his pocket had lost its last touch of magic and had now turned into a piece of crumpled paper – it was sandwiched between his leg and the cold floor of the hospital he was currently sitting on; ignored, forgotten. For now.

**. THE END .**

* * *

**A/N: **Well, that's it for Paper Cranes. I've had lots of fun with this, seeing that I'm really in the mood while writing it. I don't know about you, but the story of a thousand paper cranes is really touching for me. I mean, folding a thousand of those is not an easy task – you need to be dedicated and all. XD A-anyway, thank you for giving this story a try and for reading the chapters up until now. I do hope you enjoy it because I certainly enjoy writing it! XD


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